PARAGRAPH COMPREHENSION

What is a paragraph?

Paragraph
It is came from the Greek word paragraphos, "to write beside" or "written beside It is a series of sentences that are organized and coherent, and are all related to a single topic. It is consists of one or more sentences.

TOPIC SENTENCES
A well-organized paragraph supports or develops a single controlling idea, which is expressed in a sentence

Functions:
it unifies the content of a paragraph. directs the order of the sentences. it advises the reader of the subject to be discussed and how the paragraph will discuss it.

PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE

The first section of a paragraph; should include the topic sentence and any other sentences at the beginning of the paragraph that give background information or provide a transition.

It discusses the controlling idea, using facts, arguments, analysis, examples, and other information.

Conclusion
It summarizes the connections between the information discussed in the body of the paragraph and the paragraphs controlling idea.

SCIENTISTS HAVE LEARNED TO SUPPLEMENT THE SENSE OF SIGHT IN NUMEROUS WAYS. In front of the tiny pupil of the eye they put, on Mount Palomar, a great monocle 200 inches in diameter, and with it see 2000 times farther into the depths of space. Or they look through a small pair of lenses arranged as a microscope into a drop of water or blood, and magnify by as much as 2000 diameters the living creatures there, many of which are among mans most dangerous enemies. Or, if we want to see distant happenings on earth, they use some of the previously wasted electromagnetic waves to carry television images which they re-create as light by whipping tiny crystals on a screen with electrons in a vacuum. Or they can bring happenings of long ago and far away as colored motion pictures, by arranging silver atoms and color-absorbing molecules to force light waves into the patterns of original reality. Or if we want to see into the center of a steel casting or the chest of an injured child, they send the information on a beam of penetrating short-wave X rays, and then convert it back into images we can see on a screen or photograph. THUS ALMOST EVERY TYPE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION YET DISCOVERED HAS BEEN USED TO EXTEND OUR SENSE OF SIGHT IN SOME WAY. George Harrison, Faith and the Scientist

COHERENCE

A text has coherence when all of the ideas are related to the main idea of the text

Coherence makes a text easy to understand. In a coherent text:

All ideas support the main idea of the text. Every paragraph discusses only one main idea. The connection between ideas is clear. The organization and order of ideas is logical. A text is coherent if it makes sense.

Techniques to establish coherence in paragraphs :

Repeat key words or phrases. Create parallel structures. Be consistent in point of view, verb tense, and number. Use transition words or phrases between sentences and between paragraphs.

I dont wish to deny that the flattened, minuscule head of the large-bodied "stegosaurus" houses little brain from our subjective, top-heavy perspective, BUT I do wish to assert that we should not expect more of the beast. FIRST OF ALL, large animals have relatively smaller brains than related, small animals. The correlation of brain size with body size among kindred animals (all reptiles, all mammals, FOR EXAMPLE is remarkably regular. AS we move from small to large animals, from mice to elephants or small lizards to Komodo dragons, brain size increases, BUT not so fast as body size. IN OTHER WORDS, bodies grow faster than brains, AND large animals have low ratios of brain weight to body weight. IN FACT, brains grow only about two-thirds as fast as bodies. SINCE we have no reason to believe that large animals are consistently stupider than their smaller relatives, we must conclude that large animals require relatively less brain to do as well as smaller animals. IF we do not recognize this relationship, we are likely to underestimate the mental power of very large animals, dinosaurs in particular. Stephen Jay Gould, Were Dinosaurs Dumb?

 To show addition: again, and, also, besides, equally important, first (second, etc.), further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, moreover, next, too To give examples: for example, for instance, in fact, specifically, that is, to illustrate To compare: also, in the same manner, likewise, similarly

 To contrast: although, and yet, at the same time, but, despite, even though, however, in contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, still, though, yet To summarize or conclude: all in all, in conclusion, in other words, in short, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to sum up

 To show time: after, afterward, as, as long as, as soon as, at last, before, during, earlier, finally, formerly, immediately, later, meanwhile, next, since, shortly, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, when, while To show place or direction: above, below, beyond, close, elsewhere, farther on, here, nearby, opposite, to the left (north, etc.)

 To indicate logical relationship: accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this reason, hence, if, otherwise, since, so, then, therefore, thus